Just when you thought maybe it was time to drink less sauvignon blanc, Mother Nature has given us another extended streak of warm weather. And with Peconic Bay scallop season not that far off, it’s good to have fresh, clean, local sauvignon blanc around anyway. (more…)

While local wineries are making better sub-$25 wine that ever before, wines that retail for less than $15 are still mostly pretty underwhelming. Generally, they aren’t worth bothering with. And that’s a big reason why this week’s’ “Wine of the Week” Castello di Borghese NV Chardonette caught my attention. (more…)

A concert series focused on beautiful music enhanced by scenic settings is returning to the East End.

The Rites of Spring Music Festival features classical and contemporary musical concerts complemented by the beauty and history of their natural settings. Wine and food tastings will be provided at the events.

“The idea is to offer a multi-sensory experience,” said pianist and event organizer Paolo Bartolani. “To enjoy classical music, but in a different way.” (more…)

In June 2014, when Giovanni Borghese of Castello di Borghese Vineyards learned his father, Marco, had been killed in a head-on car crash, he had trouble processing the news. It made no sense — especially since his mother, Ann Marie, had died of cancer just 10 days earlier.

“My reaction was literally, ‘That’s impossible because our mom just died,’ ” he recalled in a recent interview. “…It’s an almost childish response. Those things don’t happen back to back.”

The shocking news rippled throughout the local wine community, which remembered Marco — a bona fide Italian prince who rarely used the title — and Ann Marie for their warmth and grace. Their Route 48 operation is Long Island’s oldest vineyard; the Borgheses purchased the property from the North Fork’s first vintners, Alex and Louisa Hargrave, in 1999.

Shortly after his mother and father’s deaths, Mr. Borghese said, there was work to do. Two and a half years later, the 31-year-old owns two-thirds of the company after buying out the interest of his older half-brother, Fernando. His sister, Allegra, controls the remaining share, although she is pursuing a Ph.D. at Fordham University while Mr. Borghese oversees daily operations. (more…)